Thrissur gang rape: Congress demands change in police team

Monday, Nov 7, 2016,11:11 ISTBy metrovaartha AAA

Thiruvananthapuram | Continuing its tirade against the LDF government in Kerala over the gang rape allegedly involving a CPI(M) activist, Congress led UDF Opposition accused the government of attempting to sabotage the probe into the incident.

Opposition leader in the assembly Ramesh Chennithala said there was “an attempt to sabotage the probe into the case and constitution of the investigating team was an indicator to it.”

“We will discuss and decide whether to take up this issue in the assembly, that is meeting tomorrow after two days recess,”, Chennithala said.

Meanwhile, Anil Akkara, MLA from Wadakancherry in Thrissur district, said police team investigating the case are “virtually dancing to the tunes the party”.

All police personnel except the two women officers should be removed from the investigating team, he demanded.

Meanwhile, police today took statement from the victim as part of the probe.

The team led by ASP G Poonguzhal took a statement from the victim.

On a related development, BJP former state president V Muraleedharan alleged that the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan did not meet the victim even though he had given time for a meeting the other day.

Muaraleedharan in a statement here said Chief Minister’s action amounted insult and injustice to the victim.

Congress stepped up its attack on CPI (M)’s Thrissur District Secretary K Radhakrishnan, who is also a former Assembly Speaker, for publicly naming the gang rape victim.

KPCC President V M Sudheeran said legal steps should be taken against Radhakrishnan.

Kannam Rajendran, state secretary of CPI, a partner in the ruling LDF, said “all citizens are equal before law. Legal action should be initiated if anybody has committed anything wrong”, he said.

BJP state president Kummanam Rajasekharan had also demanded action against Radhakrishnan, a former minister, Giving details of the rape victim is punishable under IPC section 228 (A) (disclosure of identify of the victim), he said, adding, Radhakrishnan had “deliberately” used the woman’s name.
While addressing the media on November 4 at Thrissur on the suspension of two party workers who had been named by the victim, Radhakrishnan had mentioned the woman’s name.

The rape victim had appeared before the media here on November 3, alleging that Jayanthan, CPI (M) Wadakancherry municipal council member, had raped her along with three of his friends two years ago and continued to mentally harass her.